Of Hybrids and Multitasking Doctors
by SadaraLochlan
Summary: Lt. Sadara Lochlan joins the crew of the Enterprise, but finds herself at odds with the other Vulcan/Human hybrid aboard. And Sadara/McCoy because it was requested
1. There's a New Hybrid In Town

**A McCoy/Sadara pairing was requested. I took this one down earlier because I didn't really have any ideas for furthering it, but I'm going to try again.**

If Commander Spock was honest with himself (and most Vulcans were), he would be forced to admit that sickbay was his least favorite area of the Enterprise. He avoided the domain of Dr. Leonard McCoy whenever possible, but it was logical to waste little time reporting there if his presence was required.

The Enterprise had just taken on a group of new officers being transferred over from the Lexington; and all of them, save for one, had reported to him after exiting Dr. McCoy's chamber of horrors and requisite physicals. The tall, raven black haired Vulcan first officer was quite interested to discover if there was an issue requiring his attention or if his errant new charge had been snared in the perilous journey of one of the good southern doctor's tall tales.

Entering sickbay, he caught sight of Nurse Christine Chapel taking advantage of the quiet sickbay to inventory medical supplies. She looked up at him with sky blue eyes and fought back the almost involuntary smile at his presence. Spock stiffened uncomfortably. He knew of her feelings for him just as everyone else aboard did. He truly hadn't the foggiest idea of how best to deal with her affection for him.

Mercifully though, she contained herself with quiet dignity and professionalism. She had a pretty good idea why he'd wandered all the way down to sickbay and tilted her head toward Dr. McCoy's office.

"He discovered the unicorn of Vulcans and hasn't let her have a moment's peace since," she grinned, but bothered the flagship's first officer no more and returned to her work.

The intelligent nurse's unique choice of words drew a raised eyebrow from Spock and he made his way across the room to the CMO's office. His acute Vulcan hearing picked up a couple of quiet voices; one obviously belonging to the irascible physician. His southern accent was at full strength, something that almost always only occurred when he wished to charm an attractive woman.

In the background, Spock registered the hissing open and closing of sickbay's doors along with the soft sound of approaching footsteps that he recognized as Captain Kirk's. Kirk remained quiet for a moment, curious about what had Spock stopped outside McCoy's office and eavesdropping. After a moment, Kirk grinned.

"We should rescue the poor girl."

"Indeed," Spock nodded and he tapped on the slightly open door before pushing it open further and entering the small room.

"Oh is it that time already?" McCoy made a show of checking the chronometer even though he wasn't the least bit sorry he'd held the pretty young lieutenant up from reporting to Spock.

Kirk came in behind Spock with an enormous grin on his face. McCoy could be such a wiseass sometimes and never with more fervor than when he was attempting to ruffle Spock's feathers.

"Captain Kirk. Commander Spock." Lieutenant Sadara Lochlan inclined her head respectfully at her commanding officers; and stepped further to the right to allow them more room inside the increasingly cramped quarters of the CMO's office.

"Lieutenant," Spock acknowledged. He studied her for a long moment. Her posture was relaxed, though confident and poised. She was of average height for a Vulcan female, though she wasn't as thin as most, likely owing to a diet of more human foods. Spock didn't find her particularly stunning, though it was obvious his two human friends did. Despite his upbringing on Vulcan where brunettes were the rule rather than the exception, he found himself quite drawn to the more docile, thin, sunshine blondes. It was Kirk and McCoy who preferred the assertive and brilliant brunettes. Edith Keeler had been one such idealistic, brown haired beauty who had given the Enterprise some stiff competition for Kirk's heart. McCoy's giddiness though stemmed largely from the fact that he'd finally found a Vulcan, well half Vulcan, who displayed some emotion. That she was female was simply icing on the cake.

Commodore Bob Wesley had nothing but positive things to say about her, though he had warned the Vulcan science officer that Sadara, also a Vulcan/Human hybrid, embraced much more of her human heritage. Spock appreciated the "head's up," though he was more concerned with her work performance. As long as she was competent, he believed he could overlook any unattractive displays of emotion from her.

"As she will be working under your supervision and seeing as how you are quite content to monopolize her time and mine in doing so, Dr. McCoy, I shall allow you the honor of getting Lt. Lochlan settled in." Spock handed over a datapadd with her room assignment and other instructions.

Dr. McCoy took it without hesitation, though his bright blue eyes lit up with surprise. "Why I'd be delighted to, Mr. Spock."

Spock inclined his head. "If you'll excuse me."

Kirk stepped aside, somewhat surprised at how easily and quickly Spock had relinquished that particular duty, but he said nothing to his friend's retreating back. Still smirking a little, he turned back to face Dr. McCoy who was still sitting there with that cat that ate the canary grin.

Both grins faded when they noticed how confused Sadara looked.

"I was afraid of that," she said quietly.

"What's that?" McCoy asked, curious.

Sadara shrugged, not quite knowing how to explain it. "It would be interesting to talk to him. We're both Vulcan/Human hybrids raised completely opposite, but it sure didn't seem like he was interested in talking to me. I don't particularly wish to make him uncomfortable with my human tendencies, but I'm not going to restrain myself because of it either."

"He'll come around," Kirk said. "Just give him some time."

"Besides we need to you settled in. Comin' little darlin'?" The thick, southern drawl was making a return appearance as the thin doctor rose from his chair.

Finally, a reluctant smile broke through the concern on the young woman's face. "Sure, let's go."

The handsome captain led the way out of sickbay, but turned the opposite direction from where McCoy would be taking Sadara to show her to her assigned quarters. "Behave, Bones. She's working for you."

"Oh hush, Jim."

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It had been a few weeks since Lt. Sadara Lochlan had come aboard the Enterprise. She had settled in easily enough, particularly on duty in sickbay. Though versed in space psychology, Dr. Leonard McCoy was primarily a physician and it was a welcome change to have an actual, honest to goodness, practicing psychologist on board. Starfleet Command really needed to pull its collective head out of its hindquarters and place a psychologist on all Starfleet vessels. Unfortunately, fighting the stigmas surrounding crewmembers requiring psychological assistance was still an uphill battle with many of the decision makers. For reasons unknown to the old country doctor, many still felt that it was a sign of weakness to admit to any mental or emotional issues, even after a traumatic episode.

Such mentalities frustrated Dr. McCoy to no end. Still, Starfleet did employ the work of psychologists and psychiatrists, typically during screening processes for Starfleet Academy or certain sensitive positions. Those sorts of things concerned the bright blue eyed human less than the lack of adequate mental health care these officers received after traumas.

He'd still managed to talk the powers that be at Starfleet Medical to at least let him take a psychologist for a test drive aboard ship and see if anyone bothered to use Lochlan's counseling abilities to their benefit.

The psychological evaluations were being incorporated into the annual physicals as a way for Dr. McCoy to kill two birds with one stone and also for the crew to become acquainted with Sadara. With Sadara tackling the psych evals, the annual physicals moved along more quickly and efficiently, something that pleased the Enterprise's CMO greatly. Every once in a while he would pause to observe the interactions between the Vulcan/Human hybrid and the other crewmembers. The reactions to her had been mostly positive, though some appeared confused and curious. It wasn't everyday (or ever) that most people got to interact with an emotionally expressive Vulcan. And she wasn't bothering to cover up her ears with her hair, which both impressed and amused the good doctor. She had joked that covering up her ears would have been pointless unless she was willing to do the same to her eyebrows and McCoy had conceded the point.

The crew of over 400 was mostly comprised of Humans, though there was a sprinkling of members of other races aboard. Having trained in exopsychology, Sadara was prepared to adjust her evaluations accordingly.

She was just finishing up with Lt. Hikaru Sulu when Dr. McCoy sent Commander Spock over to her. Lt. Sulu was the first to catch the cold, stern look Spock shot them. Sadara had bent her head to make some final notes in the enthusiastic lieutenant's chart as she continued that she hadn't a green thumb to save her life.

"I can talk to humans. Plants, not so much," she joked in that self deprecating way she sometimes had.

Sulu grinned and hopped off the biobed before Spock's stare could evolve into a full on glower.

"I'd better get out of your hair; you've got more company. See ya around, shrink."

The young psychologist turned to the Enterprise's first officer and simply gestured to the biobed without a word. As a Vulcan he would appreciate the absence of small talk and as a psychologist she was required to be mindful of the cultural needs and values of others. Dr. McCoy had promised her at least a small office as soon as they could get one cleaned out or find some other available space. At this point, all the CMO could really do was find her a more secluded part of sickbay for this sort of thing.

The dark brown haired lieutenant shifted gears quickly into Vulcan psychology and moved swiftly through the required inquiries. Spock's gaze was fixated on a point on the wall somewhere to the left and above Sadara's head. The Vulcan/Human male cooperated with the psych eval as required, but it was painfully obvious that he saw little point to her task and possibly even took some offense to her presence.

_Offense is an emotion,_ she reminded herself._ I'm probably reading too much into it._

It annoyed her though that he couldn't even be bothered to look her in the eye, but she remained steadfast in her professionalism. Out of her peripheral vision she caught Dr. McCoy watching the proceedings with concern and curiosity from across the room. Nurse Chapel gave her a sympathetic look, then turned back to charting the vitals on her current patient.

Spock looked down, watching as Sadara scribbled her notes. He'd tired of her pointless prying into his mental state. He was a Vulcan and Vulcans resolved their difficulties with logic and meditation, not useless discussion.

"Are you quite through?"

Sadara debated the wisdom of some ill advised, yet entertaining sarcasm and decided to go for it anyway.

"No, I'm enjoying your company so much I thought I'd continue a while longer."

In the background, McCoy snickered earning him a withering look from his favorite verbal sparring partner. She apparently had a mouth on her that McCoy thought he could along with. She'd have to be careful though. To some extent, McCoy was able to get away with it because he had some actual authority backing him up; and he and Spock had a unique relationship, that while occasionally volatile, gave him some immunity Sadara might not get from Spock.

Spock's right eyebrow lifted at Sadara, but he finally made her eye contact with her. Her large, dark blue eyes were making it perfectly clear to him that she wasn't going to be disrespected by him or anyone else.

"I'm a Vulcan/Human hybrid just like you are. I just happened to be raised in more human traditions. If my emotionalism offends you so much that you find it difficult to even look at me, I suggest you do the logical thing and accept that I am who I am. Meditate, play chess, whatever you have to do to stomach it because I won't be browbeaten into becoming something I'm not."

Wordlessly, Spock hopped off the biobed and his eyes held a cold, but slightly surprised look, and he exited sickbay without another word.

After the doors swished shut behind him, Sadara turned toward a deathly silent and staring group of Starfleet officers. She pointed to the door Spock had just exited out of.

"I don't care what his rank is; I'm not standing for that. Of all people in the universe to ostracize, he picks the other Vulcan/Human hybrid…Unbelievable… "

"Amen," was McCoy's comment on the matter.

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	2. Making Room

Dr. McCoy found Christine Chapel and Sadara Lochlan lunching together in the far corner booth of the mess hall and decided to join them. Captain Kirk and Commander Spock would likely arrive soon, but until then the brilliant physician was interested in a psychological discussion with an expert on such matters. He dropped himself into the seat across from Sadara with a small smile on his thin lips.

"Has word made the rounds that I chewed out Mr. Spock yet?" There was humor in the brunette's voice, but there was also the foreboding quality of one who expected to be in hot water at some point soon.

"I've heard something about it," McCoy said. "I wouldn't worry too much. Spock is rarely riled up enough to pursue disciplinary action. And you had a valid point, which he'll no doubt examine from every angle. I'd forget about it."

Nurse Chapel nodded and speared another forkful of salad. "Besides it's no secret how unwelcoming he's been to you. Even the captain has seen it."

Bones decided to change the subject slightly. "Honestly, it's been interesting to see how two Vulcan/Human hybrids have turned out to be polar opposites. Certainly makes a case for nurture over nature, wouldn't you say?"

Sadara grinned at that. "That it does, doctor, which is a pleasant finding for me as I've always believed nurture is more influential than nature. Naturally, heredity is an important factor in a person's development, but one's environment, family, friends, social and cultural influences are more what shapes a person. You can't beat life experience for the changes in a person."

"Isn't that the truth!" Chapel remarked, remembering a number of events in her life that had changed her for better and perhaps, worse.

McCoy looked up and across the room as the doors to the mess hall hissed open. As he expected it was their esteemed captain and first officer. Seeing McCoy was entertained with Christine and Sadara, Kirk followed Spock over to the food slots and then they made their way over to a nearby table sporting a 3D chess set. Perhaps there would be time for a game after they finished their meals. McCoy resumed his conversation with the two women.

Kirk took a bite of his chicken sandwich as Spock set the chess board back up for play.

"So what is it about her exactly that you don't like?"

Spock's eyebrow lifted in weary resignation this time. He supposed he'd best just get this conversation over with.

"She's half Vulcan and among Vulcans it is considered vulgar and offensive to as openly emotional as most other species are. All she is accomplishing is bringing shame to her family and all Vulcans."

Kirk frowned. He didn't like where this was headed at all. "But she's half Human like you are. Surely she's allowed to embrace that."

"Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way, Jim. Outwardly, she looks Vulcan, not human so the behavior expected of her will be that of a full Vulcan's. Just like that behavior is expected of me. It would… reflect poorly on me to associate with her any more than I must."

That was an attitude Jim Kirk honestly had difficulty understanding and it angered him to some extent. "No one aboard the Enterprise would think less of you for having a conversation with the woman, Spock. And you're the only two Vulcans. You're shunning her just like you were shunned."

Kirk took a sip of his coffee as he made the first move, noting how quiet Spock had become. It wasn't fun pointing out a friend's ugliness, but sometimes that's what good friends had to do.

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"You know, I don't doubt that Spock considers me an embarrassment to the entire Vulcan race, but I can't help but wonder if there's more to it than that." Sadara said as she dropped herself into a chair in Dr. McCoy's office. The doctor ventured over to his side of the desk and sat as well. Kirk followed them and sat next to Sadara after closing the door quietly behind him.

"How so?" Kirk asked.

"Well my understanding is that until he joined the Enterprise, Spock didn't have many, if any, close friends. I show up, same hybrid mix, but raised with more freedom of expression. That's something humans can better relate to than Vulcans so I'm having an easier time socially. It didn't help that the first thing Spock found me doing was having an easy conversation with Dr. McCoy here. Without meaning to, I think I've invaded Spock's space."

That seemed a bit too possessive and territorial for Spock, Kirk thought, but he wasn't ruling it out as a possibility.

McCoy's curiosity was piqued as well and his vivid blue eyes lit up with barely contained giddiness. "Are you sayin' Spock is jealous?"

"I don't think jealous is quite the word I'd use. Insecure might be a better fit. I think my easy rapport with Dr. McCoy has him spooked into thinking the dynamics between him and Dr. McCoy are going to change."

Kirk stroked his chin in thought. "Especially since you exemplify the human half that Bones has been trying to provoke out of him all this time."

"Exactly," Sadara nodded. "They may quarrel and argue a lot; not see eye to eye on many things, but Spock considers McCoy to be part of his inner circle."

"It makes sense, Jim. Spock has never had an easy time of it socially on Vulcan or off of it. He's found a comfort zone with us and he may very well perceive Sadara as a disruption to that."

"Okay, so how do we deal with it? I can't have my first officer shunning a member of the crew over perceived territory." Kirk was getting more frustrated by the minute. Spock was very rarely a pain in Kirk's ass, but when he was he made sure he made up for lost time.

Sadara pondered that a moment. "Well, the truth is trying to force him to confront an issue like this when he isn't ready to could simply make things worse, especially if he's as stubborn as you have both indicated. Our paths honestly don't cross that much to interfere with our duties."

"Not now they don't," Kirk said pensively. "But Bones and I have been considering adding you to certain landing parties involving first contact with other beings. That would require you and Spock to interact more."

Bones relaxed against the back of his chair and laced his hands behind his head. "Perhaps that's the ticket, Jim? Spock is mature enough that he won't jeopardize a mission by refusing to talk to her. I'd say throwing them down somewhere together might be the only way we're going to break the ice here."

Hesitating a moment, Sadara threw the other option she could think of out on the table, though she was certain it would just get McCoy fired up.

"If he simply can't work with me, I could always go back to the Lexington," she said matter of factly.

"Absolutely not!" McCoy sat up straight, his eyes blazing liquid blue fury.

Kirk also shook his head. "You have as much right to be here as he does. He's just going to have to deal with it. I'm going to give this some more thought and I'll let you know soon what I decide."

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	3. Troubles Hybrids Face

Spock entered the observation deck, expecting it to be devoid of anyone at this hour. Gamma shift had begun the night watch over an hour ago and most of the ship's social activities had ceased for the time being. He had not been prepared to find Lieutenant Sadara Lochlan meditating, but he reminded himself that until she became a Lieutenant Commander she would have a roommate. He also remembered the days of difficulty finding a quiet place of solitude.

The raven haired first officer was about to retreat silently, lest he disturb her meditations, when the ship's red alert klaxon began blaring around them. Sadara's sapphire blue eyes snapped open and she rose quickly from her perch on the soft meditation pillow she had dragged down there with her. She followed Spock as he bolted out into the corridor, obviously heading for the nearest turbolift. She would have to make her way to sickbay in case whatever was going on produced injuries and casualties. She would be the second stop as it was logical for Spock to return to the bridge first being the second most senior officer aboard. There was a chance Captain Kirk might beat him to the bridge, but Spock couldn't assume that to be the case.

They were nearing the lift as the ship was struck hard by whatever or whoever was attacking them. Both Vulcans lost their balance momentarily and fell against the corridor walls. As the ship righted itself, they reached the turbolift and the doors hissed open. Spock grasped the handle inside and gave the computer destination instructions. The lift began its upward motion toward the bridge when another barrage of weapons fire lambasted the Enterprise. The power flickered and the lift shuddered to a halt. It could be anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours before power to the lifts was restored and this Enterprise hadn't yet been refitted to new specifications which included emergency exits from stalled turbolifts.

"Glorious…" Sadara mumbled.

"Not the word I would have chosen, lieutenant."

"I know you know what sarcasm sounds like, Commander Spock."

"Indeed," he replied sarcastically.

"Well, we may be here awhile and there is nothing we can do to assist in the outcome at the moment so perhaps we should try to have some sort of intelligent conversation."

"Oh, maybe what it was like growing up on Vulcan. I grew up on Earth so I don't know how things look from your end."

"And what would such a discussion accomplish?" Spock absolutely had no wish to engage in such a discussion. The past was the past and rehashing it served no useful purpose.

She sighed. This was like pulling teeth. "It would be interesting. We're both Vulcan/Human hybrids who have turned out to be polar opposites. It would be intriguing to explore that."

Spock lowered himself to the floor of the turbolift and assumed a pose suitable for meditation.

Getting the hint, Sadara sank to the floor herself on the opposite side, grateful that the darkness obscured the defeated look in her eyes.

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Commander Spock and Lieutenant Sadara Lochlan had been trapped in the dark, uncomfortably close quarters of the stalled turbolift for just over an hour. Both were half Vulcans and kept track of the passage of time with the same precision and accuracy as they calculated complicated and lengthy advanced math problems. Neither had said a word since Spock had dropped himself into a meditative pose with what Sadara could only describe as a bad and defiant attitude. When they had realized they were trapped together for an indeterminable amount of time, Sadara had attempted to engage the other Vulcan/Human hybrid in conversation, hoping that he might warm up to her, at least a little bit. The attempt had been rebuffed, rather rudely by human standards. A Vulcan would have just taken the hint and thought no more about it.

Tears had threatened at the ostracism, but she fought them back with all her willpower. Vulcans had better eyesight in the dark than humans and the young woman wasn't about to let Spock see her cry. It would only make things worse. As much as it pained her to do it, she realized that her only hope right now of earning even a minute amount of respect from the Enterprise's first officer was to maintain a Vulcan like dignity in the face of his unwelcoming treatment of her.

She had remained silent and still during his meditation, though she had no urge to meditate herself. Her mother had taught her Vulcan ways so Sadara did adopt the Vulcan meditations a few times a week. Most Vulcans though meditated daily. Instead she found herself contemplating the problem of breaking the ice with the icy cold Vulcan next to her. Whatever had attacked them earlier causing the power outages had either been defeated or broke off the attack. Lieutenant Commander Scott would likely have power to the lifts soon, but certainly there were more vital functions that required his immediate attention.

"What made you choose your human half?" Spock's deep voice penetrated the dark silence suddenly. Had she been fully human, Sadara might have been startled and jumped, but her acute Vulcan hearing had picked up the subtle change in his breathing pattern indicating he had come out of his mediation. The dark brown haired psychologist had half a mind to bet that he'd been meditating about their situation as well.

"Vulcans like you, to be honest," she said plainly. She was angry and hurt still and didn't care if he knew it. In fact, she wanted to make the comparison in hopes he would realize how he came across in case he wasn't aware. So far he'd been little different from a number of Vulcans she'd met in her life.

Despite the darkness, Sadara caught the surprised eyebrow shoot for his perfectly groomed raven black bangs. In one comment, she'd managed to simultaneously compliment and insult him. It was true that he'd spent his entire life working to be "more Vulcan than the Vulcans," but it was blatantly apparent she didn't mean that as a compliment.

Deciding against his own sarcastic retort, Spock focused on his own curiosity about what unfortunate actions had been taken against her in her own childhood because of her hybrid nature.

"What did they do to you?" His voice held only curiosity as he came out of his meditative pose and leaned against the turbolift wall.

"I didn't grow up on Vulcan so I wasn't tormented on a daily basis as I've heard you were, but my mother took me to visit for at least a month during summer vacation from school every year so I could see my Vulcan grandparents. I had several full Vulcan cousins a few years older than me. They liked to test how good a job my mother was doing in teaching me Vulcan ways and they weren't meaning it to be helpful. They meant it to tease and intimidate me. There was some name calling, but most of the teasing was more passive aggressive and advanced than that."

Spock remembered such things well. As young children, the name calling was the primary form of teasing. It was simply meant to test the young Spock's emotional control. They considered it a challenge to try to provoke the young hybrid to lose all self control and retaliate. The more advanced teasing as Sadara put it didn't begin until they were older.

"I remember a specific instance when I was very politely invited by my cousins to join them on a hiking trip in the nearby mountains. Naively, but logically, I chose not to assume that they were the same bullies from the years previous and had possibly grown up some, and went with them. As I mentioned before, they… enjoyed testing my knowledge of Vulcan culture and other aspects. Female Vulcan children don't have to endure the kahs-wan, but my cousins decided to bend the rules and invent their own rat race for me to run for their own amusement."

Taking a deep breath, the young woman continued, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible as she recounted the tale. The memories of that day and night still haunted her and threatened to make her heartbeat pound in her ears.

"They learned of an Earth game young human children play called hide and seek and volunteered to play the game as "proof" that they'd "changed." Like a naïve little child, I believed them and they disappeared while I was counting. Obviously the object of the game is to remain hidden, but even human children know that after a while not being able to find someone just gets frightening, especially in locations one doesn't know well. After about fifteen minutes of searching and having turned up not one of my cousins, I realized they'd ditched me. No doubt they watched me run around like a chicken with my head cut off for a while before heading back home."

Rubbing her temples, Sadara stopped for a moment. Spock simply remained silent, waiting for her to continue. It was a horrifying tale that could have resulted in her death. It didn't obviously, but that didn't excuse the mean spirited and wreckless actions of her cousins. It seemed Vulcan children could be equally, if not more mean than the children of other races.

"What I learned when I was finally found and returned home was that my cousins said they had no idea how I'd been separated from them. I was found by my parents and the authorities well into that night. I was a few miles from my grandparents' home, much to the surprise of my cousins. I'm certain they were expecting a panicked girl paralyzed to inaction sitting on a boulder crying somewhere near where I'd been ditched. I wasn't about to give them that satisfaction. Still though, the sounds of the Lematyas… I wasn't sure I was going to make it home alive."

Spock made a small noise that sounded like a grunt of agreement. "I too remember the calls of the Lematyas; not just during kahs wan, but I had a penchant of escaping my father's strict nature by rebelling and disappearing into the nearby mountains. I required the solitude from civilization. If it was not the children at school tormenting me, it was my father and his judgments of me."

"That is unfortunate for you; and illogical of your father. How does a Vulcan reproduce with a human and then find fault that the child is half human? And how hypocritical that he accepts your mother's humanity, but not yours. Vulcan hypocrisy is an entity all its own I've discovered."

"I can agree to an extent," Spock nodded.

"You don't have to be super Vulcan, Spock. I don't even need to be super human. I believe it is possible to integrate elements from both halves in a harmonious fashion. It takes some experimenting and tweaking admittedly. I even think it might be a lifelong journey, but we do it already and have been doing it for a while. You left home for a predominately human organization. You play chess. Your best friends, the ones who accept you for you, are human. I meditate and play Kal Toh. Neither one of us are completely divorced from one half or the other. And that's a good thing because we couldn't escape from that even if we wanted to."

"Perhaps," the thin Vulcan male murmured.

"Your father's opinion of you is still very important I'm assuming."

Spock raised an eyebrow in a mixture of amusement and annoyance. She was perceptive for how young she was… and persistent, which amused and slightly impressed him. Still, he hadn't even discussed his family issues with his best friends. He certainly wasn't ready to go into them with someone he'd recently met, no matter her credentials.

"Lieutenant, I commend you for your persistence and desire to help, but I'm not yet ready to discuss my issues with my father. Should that time arrive, I will not hesitate to seek you out."

Sadara put her hands up in surrender. "Your choice."

Fortunately, at that moment the turbolift shook to life again and resumed its ascent to the main bridge.

"Well, it will be nice to have free run of the ship again," the Vulcan/Human female joked.

"Command aspirations, Lieutenant?" Spock asked.

"A possibility, Commander."

He nodded and stepped out onto the bridge as the turbolift doors swished open. Captain Kirk looked back having heard the lift and noted that neither Vulcan/Human hybrid looked unduly stressed so he could only assume they'd worked things out. Either that or they were impressive actors. The starship captain smiled as he noted that Spock seemed more relaxed than he had in several days.

He'd have to pester his stoic friend for the low down during their next chess session. He wouldn't be human if he didn't do his level best to find out how that hour went.

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	4. A Doctor Multitasking

"Admittedly, I did leave Vulcan in part because of the ostracism I had faced on Vulcan," Spock murmured quietly.

He had carefully placed another rod in the Kal Toh puzzle he and Sadara were constructing. He had been surprised when he'd learned she played such a challenging Vulcan mind puzzle. With no other Vulcans aboard prior to Sadara's arrival, Spock had not been able to flex his muscles so to speak, at this particular game. A short time earlier, the male Vulcan/Human hybrid had happened upon her teaching the game to the Enterprise's esteemed chief medical officer over lunch; however Dr. Leonard McCoy was due back on duty in sickbay before the game was close to finished and he had offered his spot to Spock who had been observing up to that point.

"It wasn't the only reason?" Sadara looked up at the Enterprise's first officer with a raised eyebrow. She really shouldn't have been surprised to hear that. It was rare that only one reason was the driving factor for any major life changing decisions.

"I wasn't certain that I wouldn't face any less ostracism among other species, but I had a… desire or drive to discover if there was a more rewarding place for me offworld."

The raven haired Vulcan slipped another Kal Toh rod into place, completing another piece of the puzzle. Sadara's eyebrow rose once more, realizing that he was certainly proving to be a difficult opponent, even though he hadn't played in sometime. The sounds of sports being played and conversations emanated from the background.

"I can certainly understand that," the brown haired female nodded, considering her next move. "I would think growing up on a world where one has been mostly ostracized would certainly make one consider if there are less hostile places and people out there. The saying "you can't please everyone" seems to apply even more appropriately to hybrids. Here we are, members of two very different species and cultures, each with their own unique values and customs; and often we're expected to exceed the standards for both or one or the other, depending on who the judge, jury, and executioner is."

Deciding on a move, the young psychologist continued. "I hear Dr. McCoy give you grief about your Vulcan half on occasion. I don't think he means any harm by it, but that's just one example of how people forget or don't notice that they're imposing their own values on others."

Spock nodded and glanced up as the doors to the recreation deck swished open to admit one Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott and Lieutenant Nyota Uhura who were chatting excitedly about something.

"Indeed. I've learned as much over the years of living amongst both Vulcans and non Vulcans. It seems to be a prevalent problem practically everywhere. I've learned to simply pay it little mind as it doesn't appear to be personal. It appears to simply be natural for individuals to project their own values and beliefs onto others as if what is right for that individual is automatically right for someone else."

Sadara excused herself for a moment and quickly made her way to the food processor, returning with a few mugs of a Vulcan tea that wasn't so bitter Sadara couldn't stand it. As a rule, the young woman didn't enjoy bitter tasting foods and drinks.

"There are times that I think I'd like to explore more of my Vulcan heritage, but it's difficult to want to invest my time and effort in a culture that sees little value in me unless I behave as they would have me behave. No doubt a rather human sentiment. As a psychologist, I can't ignore the impacts of both genetics and environment. Had I been raised on Vulcan, I might very well behave more Vulcan than human. That wasn't my situation though."

The corners of Spock's mouth turned upwards slightly in a rare show of amusement. He was sure this was a corner he could help her turn if she'd only choose to keep a more open mind about her Vulcan half and apply a more Vulcan perspective to a degree. He could empathize with not wishing to become more Vulcan when she'd experienced much prejudice from that culture; however the tall Vulcan male believed she was shortchanging herself and her personal growth by denying herself that exploration out of principle. He'd had to come to similar conclusions about both Vulcans and humans over his lifetime as well.

"I think intellectually you already know what I'm about to tell you to be true. The fact is the only person you're punishing by not exploring your Vulcan half as well as your human half is you. Those that tormented you aren't the ones missing out on what you could be discovering. You would do well to understand and accept that exploring your Vulcan heritage doesn't mean you have succumbed to the bullying or are "selling out" in order to be accepted by Vulcans. You are half Vulcan and have a right to explore that part of yourself. There is nothing to be gained by being stubborn. I cannot reconcile that for you, however. Only you can do that."

Placing the second to last rod in the nearly complete puzzle they'd constructed, Spock rose from his seat and realized with some amusement and curiosity that Sadara was actually going to win this game. He supposed he could lay the blame on the good Dr. McCoy since he'd picked up where the illogical human had left off, but he had to concede that for whatever shortcomings Sadara had as a Vulcan, she was a formidable Kal Toh player and he looked forward to a rematch soon.

"Adding counseling to your list of talents, Mr. Spock?" Sadara smiled as she looked up at him.

"I would not dare to presume on your area of expertise, Counselor. I merely speak as someone who has made a similar journey in several ways. And sometimes it is easier for someone else to see what we don't see in ourselves. In any case, I look forward to a rematch at your convenience."

"I will be ready and waiting," Sadara grinned smugly as she slipped the last Kal Toh rod into place.

W^^^W^^^W

Nurse Christine Chapel looked up from the patient notes she'd been working on at her computer terminal as the doors to sickbay hissed open. Captain Kirk and First Officer Spock entered in no particular hurry, but looked around, obviously looking for someone in particular.

"If you're looking for Dr. McCoy, he's not here," the statuesque blonde volunteered.

Kirk nodded. "I remember he asked for the afternoon off. I was looking for Lieutenant Lochlan actually."

Nurse Chapel smiled in spite of herself. "She's not here either. It's her Saturday; however you might find her with Dr. McCoy. Don't quote me on this, but I think she's why he took the afternoon off."

Spock's eyebrow climbed to his raven black bangs as he considered that.

"Just a hunch," she said as she put her hands up, palms out. "He's been unusually cheerful for him since our esteemed counselor came on board. Someone needs to locate cupid and take away his arrows. I'm not used to this much sunshine in sickbay. He's been in such a good mood lately that a few crewmembers have stopped me in the corridor to ask me if we could just do next year's physicals now while it's safe."

"Well alright then," Kirk chuckled. "Let's go see if we can find out what Bones is up to, what do you think, Mr. Spock?"

"I hesitate to speculate, captain," Spock said, his eyebrow still suspended in surprise and what might have been mock horror as he followed his captain and best friend back out the way they came.

W^^^W^^^W

"And we are we going, captain?" Spock said, his long legs easily keeping up with his slightly shorter commanding officer.

"The arboretum, Spock. If Bones is on a date, particularly a first one, I doubt he'll pick the mess hall as the location. The arboretum is my best guess at the moment."

They acknowledged passing crewmembers who nodded in their direction as they made their way to the nearest turbolift. After a moment, the lift arrived and the doors yawned before them. Kirk entered first and gave the lift their destination. The two remained silent for a few moments. Kirk though was dying of curiosity. If the good Dr. McCoy had fallen head over heels for their half Vulcan psychologist, Kirk couldn't help but wonder what his stoic and enigmatic first officer thought about that.

The lift deposited them on the requested deck and the duo exited. Rounding a corner, they followed the corridor down a ways until they reached the ship's arboretum. They looked around and didn't immediately see anyone. Most of the day shift crew would be on duty with a select few on their lunch hour. Swing shift would be preparing to come on duty so there was a definite lull in the leisure activity aboard ship at this time of day.

Kirk didn't have urgent business with Lieutenant Lochlan. He had just received orders for an upcoming mission and felt that she would be a useful addition to the landing party.

Spock hung back for a moment outside the door. Perhaps the captain was aware of something pertaining to the upcoming mission that he did not, but he couldn't see how this couldn't wait.

"Perhaps we should simply speak with her when she returns to duty or do you believe she requires time to prepare?" Spock inquired. He really had no desire to interrupt the irascible doctor on his personal time, particularly if the matter wasn't urgent.

Kirk nodded. "We're scheduled to arrive at our destination day after tomorrow. Since today is the good counselor's Saturday, I think a brief interruption to give her a head's up is warranted. I promise we won't be long. That said, I can't help the guilty pleasure of catching Bones red handed on a date with a half Vulcan. You'll forgive me for that, I hope."

"Of course, captain," Spock said quietly as the entered the arboretum. He and Captain Kirk stopped just inside the doorway and looked around. The place was deserted save for two people that Kirk could hear, but not see around all the greenery yet. Around them, the myriad colors and scents of the flowers and other plant life greeted their senses.

Laughter emanated from the far corner of the room where the lawn was and Kirk recognized one of the voices as that of Dr. McCoy. The other sounded like Sadara Lochlan recounting some tale from her youth. Kirk grinned in spite of himself. McCoy rarely laughed out loud so whatever he was being told had to be quite a story; one that Kirk himself wouldn't mind hearing at some point.

"So here I am in this pub in Dublin, pointed ears and Irish accent and the bartender assumes that because I have pointed ears that my accent must be fake and that I'm mocking the Irish. Because of course it couldn't possibly be that I'm half Human and one of my parents is from Ireland. So he asks my name and thinking my last name ought to clear things up, I'm sure to include it."

Kirk felt guilty about eavesdropping, but he had to hear the rest of this one before interrupting them. It sounded as if the young lieutenant had a few adventures in pub crawling and bar hopping that he could relate to. If only Scotty could hear this.

"Please tell me you didn't embarrass them all by drinking them all under the table with that Vulcan metabolism of yours…," McCoy said. His voice held humor, but he was actually quite serious in a way. He was no saint and certainly hadn't been as a young man, but he could be a bit old fashioned and protective of women and didn't like hearing about them doing anything crazy that could get them hurt.

"Amazingly enough, not that time. But the bartender thought I was making it all up. He obviously hadn't met a lot of Vulcans by that point because a Vulcan would hardly drum up an Irish accent to fuck with a bunch of drunks in a pub for the fun of it. So finally I just tell the guy "I'm so Irish I bleed green. Can you?" And that was the end of it. From then on, I was part of the family around there."

Peels of laughter came out of Dr. McCoy from the recesses of the arboretum and Kirk had to repress the laughter that would have given him and Spock away as well. Glancing up at Spock, Kirk stifled another round of laughter as he caught the first officer's right eyebrow somewhere in the vicinity of his hairline. Kirk finally jerked his head toward the couple and they approached Dr. McCoy and Lieutenant Lochlan.

McCoy, still grinning from ear to ear, looked up. "Oh hi, Jim!" Judging by the grin on Kirk's face, McCoy could tell that they'd heard the tail end of Sadara's story. Then he noticed Spock was present as well and a somewhat defensive look crossed the skilled surgeon's face. Spock could rightfully get away with teasing him about this one, but for the moment Spock remained silent with his hands clasped behind his back in his customary stance.

"Bones. Sadara. You really need to go tell that story to Scotty. He'd love it. I apologize for interrupting your fun, but I just needed to tell Ms. Lochlan that we have an upcoming mission that might benefit from her professional insight and that she'll be accompanying the landing party."

"Sounds interesting. I look forward to it," Sadara smiled. "And thank you for the head's up. I should like to read up on the mission in preparation."

"I'll make the information available to you then. You two enjoy the rest of your afternoon. And Bones… behave."

"Scram, Jim."

W^^^W^^^W


	5. Peace and Quiet

McCoy blinked, lost in thought as he watched his two friends departed the arboretum. A certain apprehension filled him at the thought of Sadara joining them on a landing party. He tried to shrug it off on his overprotective nature. He couldn't help it really. It wasn't that he didn't believe women should have equal opportunity or thought that they couldn't handle it just like the men. He was all for it and had on numerous occasions seen women hold their own or better in the most difficult of circumstances. The southern gentleman in him though, wouldn't be denied.

And the last time a girlfriend of his had joined them on an away mission, shore leave actually, things had gone haywire. Tonia Barrows… McCoy hadn't thought of her in a while. They had split amicably when she decided her career was more important than a relationship at that point in her life. A chance to move up on a different ship had presented itself and she'd taken it after much soul searching. Neither one of them had really wanted the breakup, but neither one was interested in a long distance relationship either. McCoy liked to be able to spend time in the physical company of his love and so parting had been the best thing for both of them. The good doctor remembered how Kirk had come around more frequently to coax McCoy out of the funk he'd been in during those first few weeks post breakup.

Determined not to let such pessimistic thoughts affect the present, McCoy shook himself out of it and turned back to Sadara with his most charming smile. "Let's see now… where were we?"

He stopped and blinked in surprise to find that she'd stretched out on the blanket with a cat like smirk gracing her lips. The look in her eyes was unmistakable and the good ship's surgeon swallowed hard. On a good day, women confused him. Sometimes in good ways, other times… not so much. This was a good way though McCoy was surprised and a bit uncertain.

"Sadara…?"

"Relax, Len, you're not getting to home base tonight. I know you're not trying to take advantage of me." She grinned.

"And how am I supposed to know you're not trying to take advantage of me?" He teased, lying back on his side beside her, propped up on an elbow. He gazed at her appreciatively for a moment. It was unusual to see her with her long brown hair down in loose curls. On duty, she always put it up. Nothing in the regs said she couldn't have her hair down, but she preferred it out of her face when she was on shift. Her sundress was a sunny shade of yellow that complemented her coloring.

"You are stunning. I know that's the 100th time I've said that this afternoon."

"It doesn't get old, I promise," Sadara grinned, tugging his shirt gently to coax him closer to her. He leaned down to kiss her, but he wasn't as confident with women as his longtime friend, Jim Kirk was so the kiss was tentative at first. Her response was eager, but she noticed his reticence and pulled back after a moment.

"You're worried someone will walk in on us?"

"A little," he admitted, running his fingers through her soft hair. "It makes me feel a bit like a teenager again, except without the adrenaline rush."

Sadara chuckled. "I understand. As a teenager there's a certain thrill to possibly being caught, but as an adult, it's not quite the same because we're supposed to know better. Would you like to pick up and go somewhere more private? Say the back of a shuttlecraft?"

"You're an imp," he remarked with finality and amusement and they both rolled off the blanket so they could fold it. He swatted her gently with it. "How about my quarters? I'll make us a few drinks."

W^^^W^^^W

"I have to say I'm surprised. I didn't think Sadara would be Bones' type," Kirk said. They made their way toward the rec deck for dinner and their evening game of chess.

Spock raised an exasperated eyebrow. He had a feeling his captain and close friend would comment on what they'd just run into in the arboretum and Spock wasn't sure how to respond.

"If by 'not his type' you are referring to the fact that Counselor Lochlan is half Vulcan, I would have to agree that I would not have foreseen such a match for the good doctor. However, she heavily favors her human half and that is something Dr. McCoy would support in any case."

"You're right about that, Mr. Spock. Perhaps she can get him to lighten up on you."

Now both slanted eyebrows rose in surprise. Spock had actually not considered that possibility, but with a background in psychology and also being a Vulcan/Human hybrid, Sadara would understand their unique struggles. With some objectivity, it was reasonable to hope that she'd help McCoy to see Spock in a more sympathetic light and bring the Vulcan some much needed respite from the doctor's teasing.

"That would actually be most welcome, captain. Perhaps you should suggest it to her?"

Kirk glanced back at his first officer with an amused expression. Was that actual hope he heard in Spock's usually inflectionless voice?


End file.
